


Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by CoffeeQueen



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Angst, Arthur Finds Out, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-02-11
Updated: 2011-02-22
Packaged: 2017-10-15 13:51:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/161464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeQueen/pseuds/CoffeeQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is badly injured and trapped while fighting a sorcerer who tries to kill Arthur. Arthur must rescue him, but will he be able to deal with the revelation that Merlin can do magic?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Merlin doesn't like caves

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write an 'Arthur-Finds-Out' story for awhile now. I hope I've dealt with the issue well enough. This is also my first time posting a WIP so please be patient and I'll update as quickly as I can. As always feedback is very much appreciated.

Merlin came to the conclusion, while being pinned under rocks and losing a great deal of blood, that his life sucked. The vengeful sorcerer who was the reason for Merlin being pinned under those rocks and bleeding out was laying dead under some much larger rocks a short distance away. Merlin found this to be fairly ironic seeing as it was the vengeful sorcerer's own spell that had backfired and killed him. Not that Merlin was complaining about that fact.

 

Merlin also came to the conclusion, after spending considerable time trying to move the rocks on top of him, that the battle with said vengeful sorcerer and the spell he'd used to protect Arthur and his knights had completely drained his magic. The first burst of magic from the now dead sorcerer had in fact missed Arthur and struck the ceiling of the cave they were searching. While obviously very powerful the other sorcerer apparently had very bad aim.

 

Merlin had managed to work a complicated spell that pushed Arthur and his men beyond the mouth of the cave as the ceiling had collapsed. At least that's what he hoped he'd managed to do, it was a little hard to be sure when he couldn't move and his head was foggy. If only the pounding in his head would stop so that he could think. The thing that really scared Merlin was that the sound seemed to be getting steadily louder. He wished that he'd paid more attention to Gaius about the effects of blood lose. He couldn't remember if hearing things was a symptom or not. He did however know that his leg was broken and given the pain he felt with every breath he figured a few ribs were broken also. He hoped Arthur was alright. It seemed rather pointless for Merlin to die alone in this dark, wet cave if he hadn't been able to at least save Arthur. All that talk of destiny with Kilgharrah the dragon would have all been for nothing.

 

Merlin didn't want to die alone. He wanted to see Arthur again. Arthur with his deep blue eyes and golden hair and annoying smirk. Merlin wished Arthur was here with him because Merlin was pretty sure he was about to die and he had a few things he wanted to tell the prat. Like if you don't like your chamber being so messy then stopping tossing things on the floor. And don't wear your muddy boots in when I've just spent an hour scrubbing the floor. And stop making me have sword training, because it's just another excuse for you to knock me about the head. And stop making me lie to your father for you to get out of things because I always end up in the stocks and I'm tired of smelling of rotten apples. And I love you.

 

Okay so that last one Merlin probably wouldn't admit to even if he was dieing. After all Arthur had made it very clear that they couldn't even be friends so Merlin couldn't really dare to hope that they could one day be more than even that. But that didn't stop him from dreaming about it. And if he tended to spend most of his nights with visions of Arthur in his head and his own hand around his cock before crying himself to sleep, well at least no one knew. In fact Merlin could hear Arthur calling out his name even now. Merlin blinked. Wait, he actually could hear Arthur calling his name.

 

"Merlin! Can you hear me?"

 

Merlin could hear him, he could even see a shaft of light in the cave now.

 

"Merlin can you hear me? Answer me you fool!"

 

But Merlin couldn't answer, if he had thought that breathing hurt then trying to shout was torture. All he could manage was a whimper.

 

"Sire, please just wait," Merlin heard Sir Leon caution.

 

"Let me go. I think I see him."

 

Merlin heard more pounding and he realized it was Arthur and the other knights digging him out. _Huh, not a hallucination then_ , he thought. Merlin watched in a daze as Arthur finally managed to make a hole big enough to crawl through. Arthur made his way over to Merlin and knelt beside him.

 

"Merlin are you all right?"

 

"Yes and no."

 

Arthur frowned. "That tells me nothing. You're bleeding and you seem to be having trouble breathing. Is there anything else?"

 

"My leg is broken," Merlin wheezed before coughing and crying out from the ensuing pain.

 

Arthur took his hand and squeezed. "You'll be fine. We'll get you back to Gaius in no time. Just rest and we'll get you from under these rocks."

 

Sir Leon and the other knights had widened the hole Arthur had made and were crawling through it. Leon spared a glance at the dead man a few meters away. Leon grimaced. "Well that's one thing we don't have to worry about at least."

 

Arthur told a couple of men to build a stretcher while the rest of the men began freeing Merlin from the rocks that were still pinning him. As the weight was lifted off of him he began to bleed more. Arthur pulled off his cloak and used his dagger to cut some strips to bind the wounds. Once Merlin was completely free and the stretcher was brought in Arthur and Leon lifted Merlin onto it as carefully as they could. However much they tried not too they still hurt Merlin, Arthur saw his fists clinched and he had gone deathly pale, but Merlin didn't make a sound.

 

"We've got you now Merlin. You'll be fine," said Leon with a smile meant to reassure.

 

As Merlin was carried out of the cave he gave in to the pull of unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin woke up while the men were making camp. Arthur sat beside him changing his bandages. There was hardly any daylight left and someone had already started a fire. Merlin tried reaching for his magic but he was still drained.

"You're awake."

Merlin looked up at Arthur. "It would seem that way."

Arthur finished with the bandages and turned to stare into the fire. "You lost a lot of blood. Too much blood. There is a bone sticking out of your leg. And for the past few hours you've been coughing up blood once in a while."

Merlin closed his eyes. "That's not good."

"I didn't think so." Arthur picked up a stick and started poking at the fire. "We're still almost three days from Camelot. You aren't going to make it that long are you?"

Merlin opened his eyes and turned to look at his prince. "No Arthur, I won't last that long."

Arthur dropped the stick into the fire and lowered his head into his hands. "Tell me what to do Merlin. Leon, Rodrick and I are the only one who've been tending to you. We're the only one who know how bad it is. Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Merlin allowed himself a small, sad smile. "I thought princes didn't take orders."

Arthur surged to his feet. "Don't joke!" He paced away from Merlin and back again a few times. The surrounding knights were staring but Arthur seemed to pay no heed. "Just tell me what you need! Tell me what to do! There must be something!"

Merlin felt tears gathering in his eyes. "Arthur there isn't." Arthur dropped down beside Merlin again. "Then you do something. Do that thing."

Merlin frowned. "What thing?"

Arthur actually growled. "Don't you dare lie to me now." He lowered his voice and leaned closer. "We saw you, well not all of us. I saw you and so did Leon and Rodrick. You used magic to protect us during the cave in."

Merlin was panicking and it was making it hard to breathe. "How? Arthur I..."

Arthur took Merlin's hand. "Calm down. You're going to hurt yourself. The three of us were the closest and it was the only thing that made any sense. You raised your hand, your mouth moved and your eyes turned gold. The next thing we knew we were on one side of a wall of rock and you and that sorcerer were on the other side. Once the three of us had the chance to talk about it we realized that you've done that kind of thing a lot of times."

Merlin was still panicked but he wasn't struggling to breathe as much. "I never meant for anyone to see. You're father..."

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. "You don't need to worry about my father. I've sworn Leon and Rodrick to secrecy. Well, Rodrick wasn't too sure about it but Leon was quick to point out all the times we've miraculously survived an otherwise impossible attack because of some seemingly odd turn of luck. We figured that had at least something to do with you."

"You mean, you aren't going to turn me in?"

Arthur looked down at Merlin with a scowl. "What do you take me for Merlin? You think that after everything that we've been through that I would turn you over to my father to be executed? That doesn't mean that I'm not hurt and angry at you for lying to me all this time. And we will be having a serious discussion about this once you're better. But I would hope after all this time that you of all people would know me better than that."

Merlin looked fairly shamefaced. "I'm sorry Arthur, you're right. I just never wanted to put you in the position of having to choose between your duty to the king and to Camelot and our friendship."

Arthur frowned and turned to stare at the fire again. "It must mean I'm a shitty crown prince but Merlin, there wouldn't have been a choice. I will always protect you." Arthur looked at Merlin with such sincerity that it made Merlin stop breathing for a moment. "Always."

"Arthur... I... thank you."

Arthur merely nodded. "So just go ahead and do it. Whatever it is you need to do."

Merlin felt the tears running down his face. "I can't," he choked.

"Of course you can Merlin. I've just told you that only Leon and Rodrick and I know how badly you're hurt. No one will notice if you make a miraculous recovery," Arthur said somewhat impatiently.

A sob managed to escape before Merlin could stop it. "No Arthur, I mean it I really can't. The fight with the sorcerer seems to have drained my magic. I can't do anything."

Arthur paled and collapsed to the ground beside Merlin. "You're joking again. Don't joke Merlin. We... we can't get you home in time. You have to use your magic."

Merlin took Arthur's hand and held on tightly. "I tried. I tried to already and it didn't work. There's nothing I can do. And you're right, I won't live long enough to need Gaius' skills."

Arthur flinched as though Merlin had struck him. "No. There has to be a way. You can't die. Who will keep my bath hot long after it should have grown cold? Who will make sure my food stays hot no matter how long I leave it sitting? Who will make sure I have the last fruit pastry from the kitchens each summer? Who will go on crazy adventures with me and save my life?"

Merlin could do nothing but stare for a moment. "How long have you actually known?"

Arthur snorted. "You're really bad at hiding it you know. If anyone had really bothered to notice you for long enough they would have seen it a mile away."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Since Ealdor."


End file.
